This project will test the effect of enalapril to mitigate the lung damage that can occur as a side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer. Thousands of veterans develop lung cancer every year, and are treated by radiation therapy. Studies of lung radiation injury in laboratory animals show that with enalapril, investigators can significantly reduce the severity of radiation injury to the lung. Enalapril is FDA approved and in common use for treatment of hypertension, kidney disease, and heart failure. These studies will advance that work to human use. Successful mitigation of lung radiation damage will improve the quality of life in veterans and non-veterans who are treated for lung cancer by radiation, and may also improve cure rates of radiation therapy for lung cancer.

Men and women undergoing radiation therapy for lung cancer at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Hospital are eligible.

Subjects who require radiation therapy to attempt to cure or to palliate their disease will be eligible for this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects eligible for surgical resection and who do not need radiation therapy will not be eligible for this study.

Subjects on ACE inhibitors, angiotensin blockers, or renin antagonists will be excluded.

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01754909